Whites Are Terrible At Racism

05 December 2012, 18:09

Racism? Very well thanks, and you?

The worst incident of racism I have personally witnesses, in many years, occurred on a recent evening at a local hospital, at a “traditionally” black hospital. A black person was turned away, denied relatively urgent treatment, on the basis that he did not have his work permit with him – at 21h15 at night.

Whites are terrible at racism, all substance and no form... name-calling and other shallowness – bring an injured black foreigner or white person to a public hospital and you will see what proper racism is. In support of this harsh contention, think of the late Corrie Sanders or read on about an experience discussed by few but doubtless, shared by many.

A staff member was badly injured in a recent incident that left him with a severe diagonal slash across his wrist. The injury was of the sort that is regularly associated with suicide attempts in movies and television programs – although incidentally the injury in this case was not suicidal.

Much like the movies portray those hectic slashes, the wound bled very heavily and the flow was exceedingly difficult to staunch. A firm, cinematic appreciation resulted in the application of a tourniquet, elevating the arm, sterilising it and bandaging firmly before rushing off to hospital.

Whether by sheer fluke or otherwise, the wound stopped bleeding and the patient was rushed off to the closest hospital.

The security staff were enormously helpful, as were other staff members and patients, quickly pointing our contingent in the direction of the triage office. Our understanding of this office was that the patient’s wound would be assessed and he would be treated with the relative urgency that the wound demanded.

At this stage, our staff member was very dizzy and barely able to walk without support, from loss of blood. (Apologies, at this stage to those with a constitution as weak as the author’s, but the gruesome picture is necessary.)

The triage assessment quickly established that he was not South African… much to our confusion, as we were under the impression that the assessment was to establish the urgency of treatment, not the nationality of the patient. The unfriendly triage admission person was interested only in the reason why a foreign national was accompanied by whites and at a hospital for locals, without so much as looking at his injury.

A crisp diagnosis of "You are too foreign."

He was quickly advised that he would not be treated without his passport and work permit, presumably to provide an explanation for his abominable presence in South Africa, and referred to another hospital some distance away.

The balance of this account is not relevant, save to assure readers that the injured man received the necessary treatment and is recovering well.

The issue at hand though, is how a hospital can turn away a person that has a spectacularly bloody injury, as evidenced by the bandages, because he does not have his passport and work permit with him? At nine o’ clock at night! I believe that the laws of apartheid required a “dompas” and it appears that not much has changed.

If you are a black person in the wrong place, at the wrong time, you might well be treated only with contempt – and not the medical treatment you require.

Is this the Ubuntu of which South Africans allege convenient pride, or does the iniquity (not only the inequity) of apartheid still live in the daily experiences of those who originate from north of the Limpopo?

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

24.com publishes all comments posted on articles provided that they adhere to our Comments Policy. Should you wish to report a comment for editorial review, please do so by clicking the 'Report Comment' button to the right of each comment.

I believe, in the real world, life actually follows reasonable principles. Despite the baffle and Bull, the short term push and pull, even exploitation, eventually the multitude of forces kicks you back to reality. For us that simply means, if as a country we want to grow, we have to invest. Read more...

I constantly ask myself what is the point of everything? A complex question and awfully deep but I know it is a question not unique to me. Possibly many of you have had similar thoughts. But really what is the point of it all? Read more...

“Never” is an infectious word, like a flu virus. Once you’ve caught it, everything loses its sparkle. It’s commonplace to hear people say and swear that they will never do, forget or say something. Read more...

The article by Floyd Shivhambu on the absence of Dr. Blande Nzimande in the struggle is impressive in a highly qualified sense – the narrative and argumentation flow seamlessly to prove its point. Read more...

It is very disturbing and nauseating to witness that the North-West University Mafikeng Campus has lost reputation and respect as a result of dishonourable actions by a few groups of people who fail to fulfil the responsibilities of the positions they hold in the university. Read more...

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.